Mark Stuart - Vocals and guitar
Vance Hazen - Bass and backing vocals
Lars Albrecht - The Telecaster Master
Jim Adair - Drums and Cymbals
Booking: markstuartmusic@yahoo.com
Influences
ROLLING STONE -- "Pure Americana heart and soul -- almost as bad ass as the black clad man for whom they're named."
BILLBOARD -- "Captures the lonesomeness of Cash, the stripped-down melodies of Nebraska-era Bruce Springsteen, the rowdiness of Steve Earle and morphs them into a captivating collection that blends twang and sophistication."
COUNTRY STANDARD TIME -- "Walks a deliberately fine line between rootsy contemporary Americana and twangy traditional country. . . with elements of twang and Tex-Mex, like a mutant blending of the Buckaroos and Los Lobos, BSOJC tear through a set of story songs written by Mark Stuart . . . as if the Blasters had been more influenced by pure country than rockabilly."
Mark Stuart formed the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash on a whim, by accident, by chance, by fortune. He'd been in a punk rock band but that was done, over, finished, and it had nearly finished him. He had a dream one night, and out of the dream came a band name: the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash. The new name was a joke, sort of. And yet, soon enough, it wasn't a joke anymore. Soon enough, it was a band, and soon enough, it was enough of a band that Johnny Cash himself gave them his personal seal of approval, and Johnny Cash's own legitimate son helped produce their first album.
"I kinda got the calling to play Country Music like one of those Pentecostal preachers gets the calling", Stuart says now. "It came like lightning out of the sky and burned into me deep. And Johnny Cash coming to me in my dreams wasn't weird. It was just that I had these dreams, and the dreams led to a body of work, to a bunch of songs, and they led to all of this."
For Mark Stuart and the Bastard Sons, the last ten years has been a blur of miles and markers. BSOJC hit the road and kept on going, and they've done it the hard way, piling their own gear into their own van, and then heading off into a dark night thats just a couple of hours away from day. A lot of Indie bands have done a lot of this, but not many have made the long haul across an entire decade. And amidst that grueling schedule, Stuart has managed to keep writing, delivering two previous records, Walk Alone and Distance Between, that built a hardcore fan base for the band and achieved a critical recognition most artists would kill for. It was an enviable position, as long as you didn't have to do all the work that went with it.
Mile Markers, their latest cd, is pretty much what the name says: a set of signs posted to guide the way home, or maybe point out the direction that has home in the rear view mirror. Set in the West, it rambles and wanders and aims the steering wheel out at the endless horizon. A halfway unfolded road map, it passes through Austin and Tucson and San Ysidro and Los Angeles, through the badlands of both South Dakota and New Mexico, from Oklahoma and the windy Panhandle country around Abilene all the way to Bakersfield and the San Joaquin Valley. But Mile Markers is a spiritual voyage as much as a mere travelogue, a set of tales that turns into a single song of journeying forth.
Its like a Western, in a way - its set in a contemporary West divided by white lines and asphalt, and settled by Truck stops and parking lots. Its a landscape of big skies and long roads and endless Mile Markers flying by at the edge of your vision. And like every true Western ever, contemporary or not, its a story of drifting and settling, of setting down roots and then having them torn up again, of learning that you don't dare settle down when you're just going to be forced to hit the road again.
What Mile Markers is, what the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash are, above and beyond it all, is nothing like an imitation. What Mark Stuart has managed to do on Mile Markers, is to come up with something that manages to be fresh and deep-rooted both, to be old-fashioned and brand new at the same time. There are bands out there that dress more authentically than the Bastard Sons, bands that have more (or less) tattoos or use vintage amps and guitars that pointedly predate Leo Fender and Semie Mosrite and Paul Bigsby. Maybe thats their version of a time machine that will magically transport them through time to a land they never will really ever manage to live in. Mark Stuart pays his tribute to the giants who have gone before by writing the finest, fiercest songs he can about the moment were all stuck with. Thats the present and the past, with the future looming up just ahead on the horizon, just down the road.
Thanks for the show in Cedar City guys. As you can see Cedar doesn't have much of a pulse...we need to get you guys up to Springdale where the crowd will git down and Boogie! I'm working on it. :) Love the new album BTW...
Hi Mark, Really enjoyed your performance last night in Cedar City, and great visiting with you and the guys ('Sup Vance!) Gimme a shout next time y'all come through, we'll knock back a brewski or two.
I'm late too. Great stuff at The Redwood in Los Angeles. Your CD "Bend in the Road" is great. I've had it racked up since. Thanks for bringing my native Texas music to LA!
I know its a little late, but I just wanted to say Thank You for the Fantastic show you guys put on at Crossroads last week!!!! We had a great time. Hope you guys are able to make it this way again soon!
THANKS FOR THE ADD!!! If you are interested in straight homemade hillbilly cream visit our profile and enjoy!!! We wish you all the best, and a great day with great music!!!
Hey Just dropping in to say hello,Thanks For The Add and thanks so much for having me as a myspace friend and let you know about my next shows.I hope to see you at a show soon. Jun 12 9:P Princess Carma Benefit in Lugoff South Carolina for tickets call 803-408-0500 Jun 13 8:P HOUSE OF BLUES /w COLT FORD MBeach SC for tickets call 843-272-3000 Jun 14 8:P TBA-Carolina Entertainment Complex Marion Jun 27 8:P Conway Chamber Of Commerce Around The Fourth FIREWORKS FREE Jul 3 9:P Beach Wagon Myrtle Beach, South Carolina For Tickets Call 843-448-5918 Jul 4 9:P Beach Wagon Myrtle Beach, South Carolina For Tickets Call 843-448-5918 Jul 17 8:P Now Booking This Date Call 843-450-0171 Jul 18 8:P Now Booking This Date Call 843-450-0171 Jul 25 8:P KOA KOUNTRY KAMPER ROUND-UP MB SC Aug 1 9:P TBA Lugoff/Camden South Carolina Aug 8 8:P TBA Carolina Entertainment Complex MotoJam
Her'es a belated thanks for coming to Milwaukee again a few weeks ago. That was one heck of a show. I've been so damn busy I haven't even listened to the new CD yet, but it sounded killer live. Keep comin' back.
Mark and Michelle THANK YOU for the great awesome show at the Palace.You guys rocked.The new CD rocks as well there should be no problem with that.Hope to see you soon back at Pappys.It was great to finally meet you and michelle.Take care and get home to Austin safely..........Tom Brown
